ASMR as Example Narrowcasting and Its Audience: A Review on Turkish ASMR

Abstract

In the new media where there are many presentations and representations, the audience who are increasingly fragmented, are integrated around different thematic areas, and more specific interests that affect their mass characteristics. In this study, ASMR the phenomenon, which is among the popular contents of YouTube, and has begun to gain a place in the mainstream media, is discussed as a new contextual category that corresponds to the more specific interests of the audience and within the scope of narrowcasting. The expansions that ASMR brings to both narrowcasting and fragmented audience are presented. In this context, ASMR videos were observed by the netnography method during a year on YouTube, 8 Turkish ASMR content creators/ASMRtists were interviewed with, and the audience comments in the three most watched videos of these ASMRtists on YouTube were examined. Among the more significant findings of the study are that the ASMR has 14 content categories in the context of narrowcasting, that the audience who expect relaxation/therapy with ASMR make requests like an active content producer/prosumer, and they need media mediation even so as to fall asleep.

Keywords

• Narrowcasting
• Audience Fragmentation
• ASMR
• YouTube
• Prosumer

Tematik Yayıncılık Örneği Olarak ASMR ve İzleyicisi: Türkçe ASMR Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Abstract

Birçok temsilin ve sunumun olduğu yeni medyada izleyiciler giderek bölünmeye uğramakta, kitleselliklerini etkileyen spesifik ilgiler etrafında ve farklı tematik alanlarda bütünleşmektedirler. Bu çalışmada YouTube’un popüler içerikleri arasında olan ve ana akım medyada da kendisine yer edinmeye başlayan ASMR olgusu izleyicilerin daha spesifik ilgilerine cevap veren tematik yayıncılık kapsamında ele alınmış ve ASMR’ın hem tematik yayıncılığa hem de bölünmüş izleyiciliğe dair getirmiş olduğu açılımlar ortaya koyulmuştur. Bu bağlamda netnografi yöntemiyle YouTube’daki birçok ASMR videosu bir yıl boyunca gözlemlenmiş, 8 Türkçe ASMR içerik üreticisiyle/ASMRtist ile görüşmeler yapılmış ve YouTube kanallarındaki en çok izlenen üç videodaki izleyici yorumları ele alınmıştır. Çalışmanın önemli bulguları arasında ASMR’ın tematik yayıncılık bağlamında 14 içerik kategorisine sahip olması, ASMR ile rahatlama/terapi bekleyen izleyicilerin aktif bir içerik üreticisi/üretüketici gibi davranmaları ve uykuya dalabilmek için bile medya dolayımına ihtiyaç duymaları bulunmaktadır.

Keywords

• Tematik Yayıncılık
• İzleyici Bölünmesi
• ASMR
• YouTube
• Üretüketici

References

1. 3diosound. (2021). 3dio microphone. Retrieved from https://3diosound.com/products/free-space-binaural-microphone
2. Andersen, J. (2015). Now you’ve got the shiveries: Affect, intimacy, and the ASMR whisper community. Television and New Media, 16(8), 683–700. doi.org/10.1177/152.747.6414556184
3. Ang, I. (1991). Desperately seeking the audience. London: Routledge.
4. Aytekin, B. A. (2019). Investigation of the effect of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) as a new YouTube phenomenon in the context of audience, and content interaction with galvanic skin response (GSR) measurement technique. OPUS International Journal of Society Researches, 10(17), 1568-1600. doi:10.26466/opus.533789
5. Barrat, E. L. & David, N. J. (2015). Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR): A flow-like mental state. PeerJ, 3, e851. doi.org/10.7717/peerj.851
6. Biocca F. A. (2012). Opposing conceptions of the audience: The active and passive hemispheres of mass communication theory. In James A. Anderson (Ed.), Communication Yearbook 11 (pp. 51-80). New York: Routledge.
7. Casey, B., Casey, N., Calvert, B., French, L. & Lewis, J. (2008). Television studies the key concepts. London: Routledge.
8. Castells, M. (2005). Ağ toplumunun yükselişi [The rise of the network society]. İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları.

9. Castells, M. (2016). İletişim gücü [Communication power]. İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları.
10. Cavanna, A. E. (2014). What is misophonia and how can we treat it?. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 14(4), 357–359. doi.org/10.1586/14737.175.2014.892418
11. Copeland, L. (2017). How researchers are beginning to gently probe the science behind ASMR. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/researchers-begin-gently-probe-science-behindasmr- 180962550/
12. Çerçi, M. (2021). The role of autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) advertisements in creating emotion. The Turkish Online Journal of Design Art and Communication, 11(3), 932-942. doi:10.7456/11103100/011
13. Dimmick, J. W. (2003). Media competition and coexistence: The theory of the niche. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
14. Equipment Nerd. (2022). Top ASMR artists list. Retrieved from https://www.equipmentnerd.com/top-asmrartists- list/#
15. Fredborg, B. Clark, J. & Smith, S. D. (2017). An examination of personality traits associated with autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR). Front. Psychol. 8:247. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00247
16. Google Trends. (2022a). ASMR’s Google search trend. Retrieved from https://trends.google.com/trends/ explore?date=2009-11-12%202022-03-11&q=asmr
17. Google Trends. (2022b). ‘ASMR’s YouTube search trend’. Retrieved from https://trends.google.com/trends/ explore?date=2009-11-12%202022-03-11&gprop=youtube&q=asmr
18. Harper, P. C. (2020). ASMR: Bodily pleasure, online performance, digital modality. Sound Studies, 6(1), 95-98. doi.org/10.1080/20551.940.2019.1681574
19. Hostler, T. (2018). ASMR videos could be a new digital therapy for mental health. Retrieved from https:// theconversation.com/amp/men-tal-health-asmr-videos-could-be-a-new-digital-therapy-100989?__ twitter_impression=true
20. Kozinets, R. V. (2002). The field behind the screen using netnography for marketing research in online communities. Journal of Marketing Research, 39(1), 61-72. doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.39.1.61.18935
21. Kozinets, R. V. (2010). Netnography: Doing ethnographic research online. London: Sage Publications.
22. McQuail, D. (1997) Audience analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
23. McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail’s mass communication theory. London: Sage Publications.
24. Napoli, P. M. (2003). Audience economics, media ınstitutions and the audience marketplace. New York: Columbia University Press.
25. Neuman, W. R. (1991). The future of the mass audience. New York: Cambridge University Press.
26. Richard, C. (2015). History of ASMR. Retrieved from https://asmruniversity.com/history-of-asmr/
27. Silverblatt, A., Smith, A., Smith, J., Miller, D. & Brown, N. (2014). Media literacy: Keys to interpreting media messages. Santa Barbara: Praeger.
28. Srivastava, H. O. (2002). Interactive TV technology and markets. Norwood: Artech House. Törenli, N. (2005). Yeni medya, yeni iletişim ortamı [New media, new communication environment]. Ankara: Bilim ve Sanat.
29. Turow, J. (2009). Media today: An introduction to mass communication. London: Routledge.
30. Van Dijk, J. (2018). Ağ toplumu [The network society]. İstanbul: Kafka.
31. Webster, J. G. (2014). The marketplace of attention: How audiences take shape in a digital age. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
32. Young, J. & Blansert, I. (2015). ASMR: Idiot’s guides as easy as ıt gets!. New York: Alpha.
33. YouTube. (2011a). Gentle whispering ASMR. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/user/GentleWhispering/ about
34. YouTube. (2019b). Michelob ultra pure gold beer ad. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9Wo1lp5GRwg
35. YouTube. (2020c). Head & Shoulders shampoo ad. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5wjd6Q1c7RI
36. YouTube. (2021d). ‘Interviewed ASMRtists and YouTube channel information. Retrieved from https://www. youtube.com
37. YouTube. (2019e). 10 dakikada 50 trigger ASMR [50 trigger ASMR in 10 minutes]. Retrieved from https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=x-kanC1OiX8
38. YouTube. (2020f). ASMR roleplay göz doktoru [ASMR role play oculist]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=-vU2XuVY2mA
39. YouTube. (2020g). ASMR berber roleplay [ASMR barber roleplay]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1dfZEcyOKJk
40. YouTube. (2020h). Derin uyku telkini, rahatlatıcı sesler ve el hareketleri ile rahat uyku meditasyonu, Türkçe ASMR [Relaxed sleep meditation with deep sleep suggestion, relaxing sounds and hand gestures Turkish ASMR]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg_ddayYzDY
41. YouTube. (2018i). ASMR ear eating and intense mouth sounds (no talking). Retrieved from https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=R214C1w5KXA
42. YouTube, (2021j). ASMR doktor roleplay, okul revirinde pansumanını yapıyorum [ASMR doctor roleplay, I’m dressing in the school infirmary]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39IXXQ3Z-Ow
43. YouTube. (2021k). Farklı objelerle tıkırtılar [Tapping on random objects]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=4teG3yDcqN4
44. YouTube. (202l). ASMR ear to ear close up whispers. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- YIqZ_7i4LY
45. YouTube. (2021m). Migren ve baş ağrısına iyi gelen yatıştırıcı telkinler [Soothing suggestions for migraine and headache]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP5046gHW80